Wednesday 28 September 2011

Teen Queen



Happy 65th birthday today to one of the strongest voices in 60s pop, Miss Helen Shapiro.

Nowadays very much seen as a product of her age, her music never aged well; nor did it make much of an impact Stateside. Thus, unlike more versatile contemporaries such as Dusty Springfield and Sandie Shaw, her commercial chart success was very short-lived and hardly lasted out of her teens.

Her most famous (and biggest) hit was of course Walking Back to Happiness. However, in my opinion this lesser-known single is much more appropriately camp...


Facts about Helen Shapiro:
  • She sang in her school band "Susie and the Hula Hoops," which featureded Marc Bolan (then using his real name of Mark Feld) as guitarist.
  • On her countrywide tour in 1963, The Beatles were her support act.
  • She was one of the stars of the short-lived soap Albion Market in the 1980s.
  • Born into a Jewish family in Clapton, London, she has unfortunately nowadays turned to one of those weird cults beloved of Manhattan Cable "Jews for Jesus".
Helen Shapiro biography

5 comments:

  1. Don't forget Shirley on BBC2 on Thursday, 9pm :) x

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  2. I spoke to her once on the phone. She was looking to buy a Mr potato head.

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  3. knew her by sight, but never heard her.
    nice voice!

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